Endorsements for the Illinois House

The Chicago Tribune continues endorsements for the Illinois House.

The Tribune continues endorsements today in contested races for the Illinois House.

59th District: Democratic Rep. Carol Sente of Vernon Hills is running one of the most disgusting campaigns in the state. A TV ad and robocall for Sente say Republican opponent Leslie Munger supports allowing pedophiles in schools. That's just wrong. The false basis for the claim is that Munger opposes state-imposed unfunded mandates on local schools. For the record — Munger says she firmly supports criminal background checks on school employees to protect students. And, yes, she wants Springfield to stop imposing costs on local taxpayers. We think taxpayers would agree. Sente should apologize for those ridiculous ads. Munger is a poised and whip-smart challenger who wouldn't toe the Michael Madigan line in Springfield. She is endorsed.

60th District:Keith Turner, a Waukegan political activist and fiscal conservative, is running as an independent against Democratic Rep. Rita Mayfield of Waukegan. A former Democrat, Turner says he "came around to the realization that the party is not serving the people." Turner is endorsed. There is no Republican candidate.

61st District: JoAnn Osmond resigned from this north suburban seat during the summer, and Republicans appointed Sheri Jesielof Winthrop Harbor to fill the vacancy. Jesiel has been the target of some outrageously misleading ads too. She is a business manager for a local church. Her background includes work as a pension manager. Those accounting chops would be useful in math-challenged Springfield. Jesiel is endorsed over Democrat Loren Karner (no survey) of Winthrop Harbor.

62nd District: We endorsed Democratic Rep. Sam Yingling in 2012 with the hope he would deliver on a promise to consolidate government, and he did. Yingling passed a bill that makes it easier to get rid of unneeded taxing bodies. Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local government. He also supported pension reform and resisted party pressure to extend the 2011 income tax hike. Republican Rod Drobinski is a Lake County prosecutor, a quick study on policy issues and an impressive candidate. We give a nod to Yingling's track record, though. He is endorsed.

63rd District: Rep. Jack Franks of Marengo is a welcome agitator in the Democratic ranks, not shy about challenging Gov. Pat Quinn and legislative leaders. He voted against the 2011 income tax hike. He opposes the push by some Democrats for a graduated income tax. He has been sharply critical of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the privately contracted operation of the Illinois Lottery. Republican Steven Reick, a tax attorney from Harvard, questions the "glacial slowness" of government ... and some of Franks' chest-thumping. Yes, Franks likes attention. But it's usually for the right reasons — because he's calling out his own party for taxing and spending. Franks is endorsed.

64th District: How's this for brutal frankness? "There are plenty of times I come home and I'm telling my family to pack up and move because the state doesn't have the will to get on a better track financially," says freshman Rep. Barbara Wheeler ofCrystal Lake. The Republican has focused on smart and not-so-smart spending on education. "I suppose because it is 'for the children,' politicians are afraid to vote no," she says of school-related bills. Democrat Joel Mains of Crystal Lake is a firefighter and paramedic. He wants to be a voice for public sector workers who, he says, get blamed for the pension crisis. In this race, Wheeler is endorsed.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner lobbed a nonstop volley of character attacks at each other during their first face-to-face meeting in five months, a strong signal that the homestretch of the governor's race will focus on personalities rather than issues.

During...

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner lobbed a nonstop volley of character attacks at each other during their first face-to-face meeting in five months, a strong signal that the homestretch of the governor's race will focus on personalities rather than issues.

During...

(Rick Pearson, Monique Garcia and Bob Secter)

71st District: Democratic Rep. Mike Smiddy of Hillsdale and Republican Jim Wozniak of East Moline did not participate in our endorsement process. No endorsement.

75th District: Rep. John Anthony of Plainfield, the only Republican in the Legislative Black Caucus, was appointed to this seat last year. Anthony, a former sheriff's deputy, is turning into a very fine, detail-oriented legislator. Martha Shugart, a nurse, a former Morris City Council member and former Republican, is the Democratic candidate. Anthony is endorsed.

79th District: Republican Glenn Nixon, a sergeant with the Bourbonnais Police Department, is the easy choice here. Democratic Rep. Kate Cloonen (no survey) of Kankakee claims to be independent, but her campaign is bankrolled by Speaker Michael Madigan. Cloonen says the state is moving in the right direction. But the phony budget she and other Democrats passed this year postponed tough spending decisions until after Election Day. That's not leadership. Nixon, a fiscal conservative, is endorsed.

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